Violent hurricanes and tornadoes have killed at least two people and caused significant damage in the United States. According to local media, the states of Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky were mainly affected. More than 20 people were injured, CNN reported. According to ABC News, at least eight tornadoes were recorded within a few hours on Thursday evening.
BREAKING: Footage shows extremely dangerous and devastating #tornado near #Wapakoneta, #Ohio pic.twitter.com/3iiig9M5Wb
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Two people died in the storm in Lakeview, Ohio, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) north of Dayton, in a community of mobile homes (portable homes), Sheriff Randall Dodds said Friday evening, according to media reports. “The damage here is simply unbelievable,” NBC News quoted him as saying.
“It’s pure devastation,” Amber Fagan, president of the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce, told ABC 6 News. ‘I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. Our community building is destroyed, our laundromat is gone,” she added. Photos in local media showed covered houses and broken trees.
In the small town of Winchester, Indiana, there were “many, many serious injuries,” a police spokesman said. He could not give exact figures. There had previously been reports of at least three deaths there. However, the spokesperson could not confirm this. A more accurate picture of the situation will only be possible once the collapsed buildings have been examined.
A supermarket and a fast-food restaurant were also destroyed in the Randolph neighborhood, where Winchester is also located, local media reported. In the city of Selma, which has a population of about 750 and is about 25 kilometers (16 miles) to the west, the storm damaged about 50 percent of all buildings, the civil protection agency said. Fortunately, there were only a few minor injuries.
There were also reports of at least 50 buildings damaged by storms in the city of Milton, Kentucky.
The reports continued that there was a power outage in many places due to damaged cables. According to the website Poweroutage.us, about 50,000 homes in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky were without electricity as of Friday morning. Many schools remained closed on Friday.
Heavy storms had already hit the states of Kansas and Missouri on Wednesday. Hail fell in some places – with lumps the size of a baseball. American media spoke of “gorilla hail”. Meanwhile, Colorado experienced heavy snowfall.
Experts attribute the increase in natural disasters in the US – storms, floods and wildfires – to the effects of climate change. (rbu/sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson

I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.